Bone's Resurgence
by Sagacious Snowleaf
Summary: Bone of BloodClan has survived the Great Battle at Fourtrees while Scourge has perished. Now the BloodClan deputy is left with a broken Clan and a wounded body, but many cats turn to him for leadership as conditions in the housefolk's place worsen. Once again, the day of reckoning may be coming for those forest savages.
1. Prologue and Allegiances

_**Special thanks to SacredRoses-Art for taking my commission to do the cover for this story. You should totally check out her cool stuff on deviantart and instagram.**_

**I love Bone and wish he had more spotlight in Erin Hunter's cannon books. Alas, even if you go to the official Warrior Cats website and type "Bone" into the search, literally nothing comes up. Everybody has forgotten about the coolest cat to never get a real story.  
**

**So I'm taking it upon myself (again) to give the big brutal cat some attention. You may have noticed I've taken down my older story called _Bone Survived_, but I can send you the whole thing if you PM me your email. This new story will be very loosely based around the plot of that one, but much much darker and bloodier, and with much more developed characters. Enjoy!**

_**Prologue**__**  
**_

_BloodClan attack!_

At Scourge's command, the long line of BloodClan cats surged forward towards the much smaller enemy line of forest savages. Bone waited by Scourge's side for a moment and watched as his cats stormed past and crashed into the enemy with shrieks and screams. It was a glorious force Scourge had mustered, surly no other groups of cats could hope to beat them in battle.

Bone's eagerness to fight tore him away from Scourge's side and he joined the fray. He searched for an enemy to kill, but to his surprised annoyance, he quickly realized the forest cats were creating tight circles with their backs to each other instead of spreading out and letting BloodClan's overwhelming numbers get the advantage. The seemingly unstoppable BloodClan wave couldn't gain a claw-length of ground. With a hiss of fury, he lunged towards the nearest bundle of forest cats with his head lowered and a dark brown tabby tom in his path gave a surprised yelp when he spotted him.

But instead of letting Bone hit him, the tom sidestepped and landed a blow against Bone's shoulder with sharp claws. The move was so fast that Bone hadn't registered what happened until after hot fire rippled across his pelt where his fur was torn. The forest cat's technique was executed with an aptitude that could have challenged Scourge's skill, and he stopped for a moment and stared at his smug opponent. The tom glared back with determination twinkling in his amber eyes before returning to the defensive line with his companions. How could such a young cat possess such speed and skill?

Another wave of toothed collars slammed into the forest cat formation and Bone watched in fascination as the BloodClan cats struggled to cause any meaningful harm at all while taking heavy damage in return. The wave was rebuffed with ease but a fresh wave of BloodClan cats hit as soon as the first one stepped back. Yet again, the forest cats' line held.

Bone clenched his dog-tooth claws into the grassy soil. This was supposed to be an easy victory. In fact, Scourge had been convinced that the sheer size of his army would be enough to scare away the forest cats without a fight at all. Plenty of the cats he had brought with him were untrained housecats conscripted off the streets at random and forced into the battle. But as he watched more and more BloodClan cats throw themselves against the enemy lines, the forest cats slowly began to fall back and crumble, especially when the more veteran BloodClan guards began to press forward.

_I need to find Scourge and make sure he is safe. _Normally, he wouldn't be worried for Scourge's life, but the forest savages were nothing like the street-cats they were used to bullying. One wrong step and they would take full advantage. Blood and fur spilled onto the ground around him but he resisted the temptation to fight as he held his head high in search of his leader. As Scourge's second-in-command, it was Bone's duty to make sure nothing bad happened to him.

He heard Scourge's battle-shriek and turned towards the sound. He still couldn't see the tiny black cat among the writhing bodies, but he did see another forest-cat formation that was holding up against the attackers. BloodClan cats jostled past him in their eagerness to taste forest-cat blood and Bone let the tide of furious spitting cats carry him with them.

Most BloodClan cats were held at bay by the formation, but Bone didn't have time to wait for an opening. Instead, he ducked his head, and charged in, an idea forming in his mind. Instantly, he felt his pelt rip and tear as enemy claws slashed at his flesh, but the pain only fed strength into his powerful limbs. He blindly grabbed one of the forest cats in his jaws and dragged her away from the others. Once he was sure her friends were too busy dealing with the swarm of BloodClan cats to help, he grasped the dark ginger tabby she-cat between his dog-tooth claws and lunged forward with his jaws agape. He tried to bite down into his victim's flesh, but the warrior wiggled out of his grasp at the last moment and his jaws snapped shut on empty air. Growling with frustration, he twisted around as the smaller cat tried to dart around him and attack him from the side.

"You aren't going to win today, Bone," the she-cat hissed, ducking beneath his paw as he swiped at her head. "The Clans are stronger than you know."

He bared his teeth, recognizing her voice immediately. "You're name is Red. You used to be a feral roaming the streets. Why are you throwing yourself in with this lot of savages?"

"My name isn't Red anymore," she snarled, showing him her sharp teeth. "And we aren't the savages, _you_ are. The Clans are wise and just and they taught me to put the well-being of my friends before myself. My name is Russetfur and I'm the deputy of ShadowClan now."

"You are going to die remembered by nobody," Bone hissed, dropping into his favored battle stance. "Once Scourge is finished here, all that will be left of you and your precious Clan is skeletons." With a shriek, he charged at her, keeping low to the ground since he expected her to slip to the side. He would change directions as soon as she tried to dodge.

To his surprise, she jumped straight upwards just before he was within reach, and landed on his back as he thundered past. His claws sank deeper into the grass with the extra weight, but he didn't slow down. Instead, he tucked his head instinctively and rolled forwards with her still clinging to his shoulders, slamming her into the ground beneath him.

She had the air knocked out of her and he stepped back to admire his handiwork. _It doesn't matter how clever you think your fancy moves are, you will still die like any other cat that stands in the way of BloodClan._ Before she could recover, he lunged forward with his jaws wide open, ready to finish her off with a single bite.

Something slammed into him from the side with so much force, that all four of his paws left the ground and he tumbled through the grass. He gasped in shock and scrambled to his feet. He wasn't accustomed to taking such a strong hit and he was eager to see who exactly could have possibly challenged his might.

His attention focused on a large battlescarred black and white tom with golden eyes standing protectively over the fallen she-cat. The large cat glared furiously at the the BloodClan deputy, his growl deep and threatening. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size."

Although the new cat was big, Bone was still bigger and he had seen much scarier cats in the houseplace before. "Let me guess, you two are lovers," he jeered, stalking closer. "Oh wait, aren't you the leader of one of these filthy tribes?"

The leader quickly turned to his fallen companion. "Return to the formation and stay safe. I'll take care of this _kittypet _and join you soon."

"Be safe, Blackstar."

Bone's smirk quickly changed to a scowl as the she-cat fled. These savages were treating him like he was just some fat housecat that shouldn't be taken seriously. Did they not understand they were on the brink of annihilation?

Blackstar returned his attention to the BloodClan deputy. Even as they sized each other up, more BloodClan cats surrounded them. Bone raised his tail for his snarling allies to stand their ground; he wanted to fight this pompous forest cat one-on-one. _If I start to lose, I can order them all to attack._

But Bone was hesitant to make the first move. Every forest cat seemed to have more battle-training than the the average cat from the houseplace- he had figured that much out. He had also learned to not expect whatever technique they came up with to counterattack. Surely one of the forest leaders would be far more experienced than the typical grunt.

"Just kill him already, Bone!" a nearby BloodClan cat cheered, having absolute confidence in their deputy's ability to win.

Bone narrowed his eyes with frustration. He couldn't appear weak in front of his subordinates. With a loud caterwaul, he leapt forward, his dog-teeth claws tearing up the grass in his wake. _That cat is way too large to dodge a head-on attack._

He was correct. Instead of trying to dodge, Blackstar met Bone's power with his own. The two large cats slammed into each other and for a moment, neither could overpower the other. Bone aimed to sink his teeth into his enemy's throat but Blackstar countered him by slashing at his exposed muzzle with a perfectly timed and aimed paw-swipe. Pain sprang across Bone's face, but he didn't flinch. Instead, he grabbed a hold of Blackstar's outstretched paw in his jaws and bit down with all his might.

Blackstar screeched with pain and swung his other paw at Bone's head, trying to force him to release his grip.

Realizing that his eyes were in danger, Bone let go and took a step back just as Blackstar's attack swished past his whiskers. He quickly ducked low and leapt forward, crashing into Blackstar's torso and carrying him off his paws.

The ShadowClan leader yelped, clearly surprised by Bone's speed, but he still had plenty of tricks to spare. Even as Bone slammed his opponent down into the grass, Blackstar rolled onto his back and used their momentum to kick Bone hard in the chest, sending him somersaulting through the air behind him.

Bone crashed into the ground onto his stomach and for a moment had the breath knocked out of him. Blackstar quickly took advantage of Bone's vulnerability and pounced, sinking his teeth deep into his shoulder.

Bone yowled in pain, but he also noticed that Blackstar could have easily killed him right then but chose to make a non-lethal attack. _He's still not taking me seriously, _he thought in anger. _He thinks if he just hurts me bad enough, I'll just run away. _His icy fury bubbled up in his chest and his rage gave him strength.

He ripped himself out of Blackstar's grasp and spun on him as quickly as a snake. With all of his might, he swung a paw at Blackstar's head. The other cat ducked and Bone's dog-tooth claw ripped the tip of his ear off. But Bone had expected the evasive maneuver and his other paw swung in with equal strength, digging deep into the side of Blackstar's head. Blackstar was sent tumbling across the ground from the impact and the BloodClan cats behind Bone cheered.

Bone savored the sweet taste of triumph, but his shoulder was damaged badly and he could barely move it at all. _I need to find Scourge. His safety needs to be my top priority and I can't protect him if I'm fighting forest leaders._ As Blackstar stood up, blood dripping from the side of his head, Bone took a step back and raised his tail to get the attention of the BloodClan cats surrounding them.

"Kill him."

At his command, a swarm of his cats rushed forward and Blackstar was forced to flee back to his safe line of forest cats.

"Coward," Bone hissed under his breath, and he limped back through the mass of BloodClan cats that were still surging forward.

The tide was definitely turning in BloodClan's favor. The forest cats were being pushed back towards the four giant oak trees that marked the meeting place where Scourge had killed the forest scum Tigerstar just three days ago. The defensive lines that the forest cats were relying so heavily upon were breaking as more and more BloodClan cats attacked.

Bone looked around for his leader's signature bloodstained-black fur. Even if BloodClan was winning, everything could be lost if Scourge fell. BloodClan's unity relied entirely on their leader's dark intentions. Without him, they were all just a bunch of ferals and housecats with grisly trophies wrapped around their throats.

To his relief, Bone suddenly caught a glimpse of his leader's black fur and his huge dog-tooth claws flashing through the air. Scourge was near the front lines, fighting mostly separated from the rest of BloodClan. Without a second thought, Bone limped across the crimson grass towards where the fighting was thickest. He pushed his way through the crowd, never losing sight of Scourge.

Something hit him from the side, slamming into his wounded shoulder and sending another spasm of pain rippling down his spine. Two cats were locked in a frenzied tussle; a stout BloodClan guard, and an older white-furred forest savage.

With a couple of well-aimed claw strikes, the forest cat sent the guard running with blood dripping from his ears and neck. Then he turned his attention on Bone and his eyes widened in shock when he recognized him.

Bone really didn't want to fight, he was almost by Scourge's side, but the white warrior bared his teeth and dropped into a battle-stance. _Killing him quickly would take less time than trying to get around him and letting him attack me while I'm exposed._

Bone didn't have a lot of time to contemplate what to do because the forest tom was already leaping towards him. White fur flashed past Bone's muzzle as he stepped back and let the paw-swipe fly by. He could tell the senior forest cat was tired and injured from his own battles and his attack was sloppy.

Bone didn't waste any time and lunged forward with his jaws agape. He wanted the fight to end quickly, and for that, this tree-rat needed to die. Hie enemy was too slow to avoid the attack, probably because he was already so weak, and Bone's teeth met flesh. He bit down hard into his victim's throat, feeling the sweet warm liquid flow into his mouth. In just a few moments, the forest cat would be dead.

But then the warrior dug his claws deep into Bone's eye in retaliation, sinking so deep into his flesh that he was forced to let go and stumble backwards. Bone cried in agony, feeling blood drip down his face from his ruined eye. He couldn't see out of one side and the pain made his head spin. _I'll rip that rat's legs off when I catch him again!_ Bone vowed, still reeling in misery.

He regained his composure and let his furious gaze dart back to his opponent who was sprawled on the ground, bleeding from the neck. Fighting through the pain, Bone stepped forward and raked his dog-tooth claws across the injured warrior's pelt, his revenge tasting almost as sweet as his enemy's blood. Skin tore beneath Bone's wrath and the savage screamed in agony. Bone didn't care that the other cat was already going to die on his own, he wanted the cat's last few moments alive to be hell. He kept tearing and slashing until every single white hair was soaked red. He only stopped once the white warrior's eyes had rolled back into his skull and the screaming stopped.

Gasping for breath, Bone took a shaky step backwards, his shoulder and eye now tormenting him with equal amounts of pain. His own blood was oozing from his wounds but he straightened up and raised his head proudly. He couldn't see Scourge anymore, the tiny cat must have gone somewhere else to fight. Bone cursed under his breath that the dead white cat had delayed him so much.

"Whitestorm!"

He turned around to see a small pack of forest cats charging towards him. They all seemed young but their bodies were unfairly uninjured compared to his. They slammed into Bone all at once, knocking him backwards a few pawsteps. He roared with fury and slashed his claws through the air, but they were swarming over him like fleas, digging their claws into his pelt and tearing at his already tender wounds. He was exhausted but they attacked him with vengeful vigor.

_Where are my allies? I need help! _He spotted a group of housecats watching him struggle from a few pawsteps away, but their eyes were filled with disgust. Many cats in BloodClan had no loyalty to Scourge and only supported him out of fear. They wanted the him to die, and the thought of their betrayal gave Bone the smallest spark of strength. _Treacherous cowards! _

But he was getting dizzy from so much blood-loss and his vision blurred. His attacks became more and more feeble until he fell to the ground beneath the onslaught. The last thing he remembered was the cheers of his assailants as they danced on his body, celebrating the defeat of the BloodClan deputy.

Bone closed his eyes and let the pain gently carry him into unconsciousness.

_Forgive me... Scourge... I have failed._

* * *

_**x.x**_

* * *

_**Allegiances**** (I am accepting OC's so put some names and descriptions in your reviews!)  
**_

**The Blood Rout (prominent remnant of Scourge's BloodClan- loosely organized)**

Bone- massive scarred black and white tom with one green eye and a toothed collar

Brick- large ginger she-cat with green eyes and a toothed collar

Frost- scarred gray she-cat with white patches and pale amber-blue eyes

Snake- black and white tom with green eyes and an underbite

Ice- black and white tom with green eyes and a toothed collar

Ghost- young white she-cat with red eyes and unusually long claws

Reaper- black flat-faced she-cat with green eyes and a toothed collar

Jaggedtooth- huge ginger tabby tom with amber eyes (formerly of ShadowClan)

Sabotage- massive brown tabby tom with a toothed collar and harness

Steel- silver-gray she-cat with dark amber eyes and a toothed collar

Pavement- gray tom with green eyes and a toothed collar

Blizzard- large white tom with blue eyes and a toothed collar

Blackout- large black tom with amber eyes and a toothed collar

Mantis- scarred long-legged white she-cat with green eyes

Hazard- large black and gray tom with green eyes and a toothed collar

Vulture- long legged black she-cat with brown markings, amber eyes, and a toothed collar.

Shadow- huge black she-cat with blue eyes and a toothed collar

Owl- black and white she-cat with green eyes and a toothed collar

Sunny- ginger tabby tom with amber eyes

Cringe- black and white she-cat with light green eyes and a toothed collar

**Housecats, Strays, and Ferals Outside of BloodClan**

Tatters- scarred tortoiseshell she cat with a bent tail. Blind and deaf on one side. One bright amber eye. (stray, formerly of BloodClan)

Alice- large gray and white she-cat with green eyes (stray)

Ruby- light gray she-cat with amber eyes (stray)

Cloud- fat fluffy gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes (housecat)

Smudge- fat black and white tom with amber eyes (housecat)

Princess- light brown and white tabby she-cat with green eyes (housecat)

Ravenpaw- black tom with a white spot on his chest and amber eyes (feral)

Barley- black and white tom with blue eyes (stray)

Jake- ginger tabby tom with green eyes (housecat)

Demon- red tom with yellow eyes (feral)

Storm- dark blue-gray tabby tom with amber eyes (feral)

Axe- sandy and brown she-cat with blue eyes (feral)

Slate- skinny gray tom with yellow eyes (feral)

Blitz- small black she-cat with a white spot on her face and blue eyes (housecat)

Shriek- small black she-cat with a white face and amber eyes (housecat)

Willie- brown tabby tom with green eyes (feral)

Snapper- large scarred black, gray and white tom with yellow eyes (feral)

Tess- cream furred she-cat with a white mark on her forehead and blue eyes (stray)

Pounce- light brown tabby tom with amber eyes that go in different directions (stray)

Minty- dark gray she-cat with blue eyes (housecat)

**Known Forest Savages**

Firestar- ginger tabby tom with green eyes (leader of ThunderClan)

Blackstar- huge white tom with black paws and yellow eyes (leader of ShadowClan)

Leopardstar- dappled golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes (leader of RiverClan)

Tallstar- black and white tom with amber eyes (leader of WindClan)

Boulder- thin gray tom with amber eyes (member of ShadowClan, formerly of BloodClan)

Russetfur- dark ginger she-cat with green eyes (deputy of ShadowClan, formerly a feral)

**Please leave a friendly review if you like what you see. It helps me out more than you can know.**


	2. The Living and the Dead

**ACT ONE: _The Blood Rout_**

_The air was cold and the world was black. He tried to open his eyes but his eyelids felt stiff as if frozen in an icy grasp. He lay curled up in a tight ball with his head pressed against his own stomach. He couldn't smell or taste anything in the air so he imagined he had to be inside somewhere.  
_

_"Where am I," he cried in fear. "Is anybody there?" His voice seemed too shrill to be his own. His head was spinning and his whole body felt like it was burning and freezing at the same time. With a grunt of effort, he lifted his head and forced his eyes open to gaze around at his surroundings._

_The world was desolate and gray, full of shadows and dark stains on the street and walls. He wasn't inside, like he had predicted, but instead on the street of a housefolk's place. He couldn't remember what street it was or how he had gotten there. In fact, he couldn't remember anything- even about himself. What was his name? Did he have a name? Where did he come from? His paws were curled up in front of him, the black and white fur doing nothing to jog his memory._

_With a wobbly first try, he got to his paws, eyes sweeping over the tattered houseplace that lay before him. The buildings were crumbling and decrepit, the gray windows shattered, and glass was strewn across the cold ground. There was no moon, sun, or stars in the sky and the only light came from the flickering lamp posts that lined the street. This place wasn't home, he knew that for sure. To his terrified frustration, he had no idea which direction would take him back to where he belonged._

_He took a couple shaky steps towards one of the collapsed structures. It may have been home to a family of housefolk at one point and he expected to see or hear at least some signs of life, but there were none. No breeze rattled the windows, and no breath stirred the air with a sound.  
_

_Something crunched beneath his paw and he looked down to see the smashed bones of a tiny mouse. To his surprise, he noticed many more bones of all sizes littered around him. Most were small like those of birds and rats, but every here and there he could spot the larger remains of cats, and even dogs._

_Icy terror was beginning to trickle down his spine. _

_Surely he would run into some other cat and they could tell him who or where he was. He padded along the street, staying in the pale puddles of light left by the lamp posts. He didn't dare venture into the darkness and he did his best to avoid the corpses that seemed to fill every nook and cranny. Surprisingly, even though he could taste the salty blood in his mouth, the skeletons that surrounded him didn't seem to produce any scent._

_ A particularly vile carcass of a cat lay in dark pool of black tar, the eyes staring mournfully at him as he limped by. It may have been a trick of the light but he could have sworn they followed him._

_"Hello?" he called loudly, high pitched and hostile. H___is meow echoing through the hollow streets. _There was no answer and he felt the urge to panic. The world was completely quiet other than his claws scarping the stone earth with each step, but there wasn't even a breath... not even a heartbeat._

_He stopped, realizing that something was terribly wrong. He frantically pressed his ear to his own chest, his spine twisting and popping as he strained to hear the pounding of his own heart. There was none. "Am I dead?" he mewed in shock, his voice still foreign to him. He was struck with a sudden wave of understanding and a faint memory flitted through his mind._

_He had been in battle, his claws reinforced with dog teeth as he slashed at his enemies. He thought he had killed his adversary, he could have sworn he saw him stop breathing. But then his enemy had returned as if defying death itself._

_He suddenly remembered his own name, the word slipping off his tongue like a slab of meat. "My name is Scourge."_

* * *

**_o.o_**

* * *

_Pain... Darkness... Silence..._

_Am I dead? No, still breathing. I hope I die soon, everything hurts so damn much.  
_

His body felt like it was in pieces. His skin burned under his pelt and his head roared with agony. He tried to open his eyes, but his face was so caked with blood that his eyelids were fixed in place. He was broken, all he could do was wait for death to claim him.

But as the moments slowly crawled by, he was starting to give up on dying. _How long have I been lying here? _The last thing he remembered was falling in battle against the forest cats. He had just killed an older white warrior when a swarm of smaller enemies had swamped him and brought him down under a barrage of scratches and bites. _I'd give an eyeball to have another shot at killing those savages and make them pay for what they did to me. _

He lifted a paw and felt the soft blades of grass tickle his pads. The tiniest island of comfort in his sea of misery. He moved his shoulder and instantly felt the tender skin around his wounds stretch and pinch. He let out a gasp and stopped, breathing hard.

_Actually, forget about getting revenge. I'd give anything to just be dead and have all this pain go away._

He pricked his ears, hoping to hear anything that would suggest the rest of BloodClan was near. Even in his crippled state, his dignity wouldn't allow him to cry for help like a mewling kit. He became aware that he couldn't feel anything in the tip of one of his ears; it must have been ripped off.

The only sound was the wind rustling the trees above his head. He was laying where he had fallen; in the shadows of the huge oak trees. Assuming Scourge had won the battle without him, he was safely nestled in a new patch of BloodClan territory. _So much more fresh-kill to feed all those hungry housecats._

Just the thought of victory gave him a surge of strength. With a grunt of effort, he shifted his paws and forced himself into a sitting position. The pain was still just as intense, but everything would be better once he found Scourge. He could feel blood trickling down his sides from where his wounds had reopened. _Once I'm back in the houseplace, I'll find someone to patch me up._

He still couldn't see because of the dried and sticky blood encasing his eyes and muzzle, so he licked a paw and swiped it over his face. Immediately, he noticed something else was horribly wrong. Even after he scraped the blood from his eyes, he still couldn't see anything on his left side. He tenderly touched his damaged eye with a paw and was shocked by the pain. His body compulsively went into a spasm as fire ripped down his spine once more. He was almost knocked to the ground again but he braced his legs against the dirt and curled his lips into a snarl. _I'm, not going to try that again._

Once the burning had subsided, Bone used his good eye to get a better look at his situation. As he suspected, he was still in the forest. The sunset was casting the bloodstained grass in deep violet and a chilly breeze swept through what remained of his tattered pelt. He shivered, the large holes in his normally thick fur offered little protection against the wind. His body was shaky and weak from so much blood-loss but he raised to his full height, gritting his teeth whenever his skin flared up in pain. He couldn't stay there any longer, he needed to find his Clanmates and rest his aching body somewhere warm and safe.

His own blood wasn't the only thing to stain the earth around him. Glittering under the last reflections of sunlight, he could see more sprawled and hunched figures lying in the grass. To his shock, all of the carcasses he could see belonged to BloodClan cats; the toothed collars were unmistakable. Even the white warrior he had slain in battle was nowhere to be seen.

"Wow, you actually survived."

Bone spun his head around to face the voice, his injuries shrieking in protest. A tortoiseshell she-cat with one eye was staring at him from a mossy stump covered with toadstools. Her head was completely shredded on one side yet she held herself with poise and elegance. He recognized her as a high-ranking BloodClan member named Lost. She was one of Scourge's closest advisors.

"You really are the toughest thug I've ever met," she meowed coolly. The corner of her lip quivered but her voice was steady. "I really thought you were dead like the others."

"I don't have time for small talk. What happened here?" he demanded. "Where is Scourge?"

The she-cat's good eye widened at his curtness and a flicker of hostility lit in her face. "Darling, you look even uglier than me. I reckon you can barely move under that many fresh cuts and bites."

Bone bared his teeth and took a menacing step towards her. "Where is Scourge!"

The she-cat didn't flinch at his threat. Instead, her eye returned to a cold blank glare and her twitching lip curled into a grimace. "You know what? If you want to see Scourge so badly, I'll take you to him. Then you can ask him all the stupid questions your black heart desires." She leapt down from her stump and marched across the grass.

He tried to keep up, but she was right that his tender wounds demanded he move slowly and carefully.

"There." The she-cat pointed with her tail at a small torn up clearing in the shadows of one of the four huge oak trees. "Tell him that _Tatters_ is leaving BloodClan and never wants to see him again." With that, she turned and raced away in the direction of the houseplace.

_Tatters? That was your name when you were a feral. _He wanted to roll his eyes but he knew that would only bring more excruciating pain. Instead, he just limped across the grass in the direction Tatters had pointed. "Scourge, are you there? It's Bone." He spotted a black shape in the darkness. It looked like Scourge was asleep. "You can enjoy your nap later, first tell me what-"

Bone padded up to the tiny curled up body and what he saw almost made his heart stop. The BloodClan leader's body was slathered in blood. Under normal circumstances, that would have been expected, but there was also a deep gash in Scourge's throat. Many more cuts laced his chest and head and his eyes were partially open.

"No no no no no," Bone muttered, nudging the cold body with his paw. "No, this _can't _be right." But there was no mistaking it; Scourge, the leader of BloodClan, was dead.

Bone stood over the tiny pile of black fur. In his head, he tried to rationalize the situation. _When both me and Scourge fell in battle, BloodClan would have retreated. In fact, they wouldn't even be BloodClan anymore since Scourge kept them all together by fear. Now they are just the scattered remains of what used to be BloodClan. They are the Blood Rout._

Another cool breeze rustled through the grass. The sun had almost set and it would be dark soon. Bone stooped down and closed his leader's eyes with a gentle paw. He used his powerful jaws to grab Scourge by the scruff of the neck, careful to avoid the array of dog teeth that still studded his collar, and lifted him into the air. The tiny cat was lighter than he expected but that might have been because a lot of his dark blood was seeping into the dirt. _D__oes that make me the new leader since I was ranked second highest?_ _I never wanted to be, I was only loyal to him._

He turned and headed back in the direction of the houseplace. There was an urgency in his movements since now he knew he was still in enemy territory and he was in no condition to fight a patrol of forest savages. His body still ached and he was tempted to ditch the body and save himself but the BloodClan leader deserved to be laid to rest in his own territory.

To his relief, no cat challenged him as he made his way through the darkening forest. Perhaps they were all tending to their wounds after the Great Battle, celebrating how they had defied all odds and vanquished such a mighty enemy. _Just thinking about how overconfident they are makes me want to vomit._

He could hear the housefolk's cars ahead and the familiar sound made him relax slightly. He had almost made it to the road.

"Halt!"

He froze, fear chilling his heart. He really didn't want to fight in his sorry state. He looked up. In the shadows he could see a dark brown tabby tom glaring at him a few dog-lengths away, blocking his path. He remembered him as one of the cats that had brought him down in battle._ If I absolutely have to fight, I can probably beat him. They aren't so strong when there is just one of them._

"Bone!" the smaller cat gasped, instantly recognizing him. "You were Scourge's deputy! I thought we killed you!"

"Clearly not," Bone growled, lowering Scourge's body into the grass. "Let me pass, I just want to go home."

The tabby composed himself and straightened up. "I'm afraid I can't do that. BloodClan is a threat to us all and I can't just let you walk past. We were guarding the border to make sure you had all left. If you try to attack me, I'll yowl and more warriors will come and take you down."

Bone considered his options. He could attack and try to silence the creature before it had a chance to call for help, but he didn't trust he would be fast enough. He could also surrender, but they might just kill him anyways. His only viable move was to talk. "The war is over and Scourge is dead. You have no reason to worry about me anymore since we all followed him. After today you will never see us again."

"You killed Whitestorm," the cat hissed, puffing out his fur. Even though his voice was riddled with anger, he was clearly inexperienced and unsure of what to do. "You have to pay for your crime."

"Is it a crime to obey your leader?" Bone pointed out. "If your precious Firestar ordered you to attack, wouldn't you? Sometimes cats die in battle, Scourge did and so did many more of my cats. Is that not justice enough? All I want to do is take my leader back to where he belongs and never return. Do you forest cats know nothing of honor?"

"Uh," the little cat took a moment to process the BloodClan cat's words.

Bone grit his teeth but didn't let any of his fear or anger show on his face. If the forest cat sounded the alarm, Bone would leave Scourge behind and make a break for the street. The forest cats wouldn't follow him there.

"Fine, you can pass," the forest cat muttered, stepping to the side so his enemy could continue.. "It's not because we forgive you, it's because every cat deserves to be buried with honor in their homeland. Just make sure to never come back into the forest."

Bone was surprised by how easilly he had convinced the savage to let him go. Maybe they did have some amount of honor after all. _Or maybe this individual is just really stupid. _He picked Scourge off the ground and padded forward. The tiny savage eyed him suspiciously and they came within a tail-length of each other, ready to fight if either made a move to attack. _He looks like a smaller version of Tigerstar. Were they related?  
_

Nothing happened as the two enemies went their separate ways. Bone grunted his appreciation and the smaller cat gave a tiny nod.

Bone let out a relieved breath. He could finally leave the forest and all of its miserable inhabitants behind him. As much as he would have enjoyed taking over the forest with Scourge, that dream was as dead as the BloodClan leader.

The trees opened up and Bone stepped onto the street. The windows of the houses on the other side were lit and he could see the housefolk inside. He was finally home. He waited for a gap in the cars passing and scurried across, Scourge's body swinging in his jaws. He knew the way back to Scourge's old hideout. It would be night by the time he got there. He looked over his shoulder one last time at the forest bathed in shadows.

_Good riddance. _

**This chapter was really fun to write. I started the original _Bone Survived _in 2012 and I know my writing has come a long way since. Of course, since I edit and grammar check my own work, there are bound to be the ****occasional ****spelling and continuity errors so just stick with me here. Feel free to point out all my mistakes in the comments. Also, I don't have a schedule for chapters even though I have the plot mapped out. Expect waits between a week and a year, haha.**


	3. Allies in the Night

**There are 11 pages of Scourge stories without Bone... there are exactly 5 stories about Bone without Scourge...**

**Feathershade What an unfortunate name you have, Ms. Potato. XD  
**

**MistLion I love writing disaster scenes. Assuming I have the motivation to complete this (which I probably won't) there will be plenty more disastrous scenes coming up.  
**

_There were bodies strewn everywhere as_ Bone shambled through what had once been the heart of BloodClan territory. The streets were scarred with streaks of blood and fur and he could imagine the many dozens of cats limping and crawling back to the safety of their housefolk. Some of them had died of their injuries before they could get home, laying dead in the road to get pounded by the cars, or on the sidewalks with their blood dripping into the gutters. The defeat of BloodClan had been absolute.

He wasn't surprised to see a few surviving BloodClan cats flickering back and forth across the streets and between the shadows. Occasionally some cat with a toothed collar would recognize him as he passed, but after seeing Scourge's corpse, they would flee. Scourge _was _BloodClan, and the Clan would eventually fade away without with him.

His one good eye ached against the hard contrast of the dark night and the blazing street lamps. The housefolk would all be tucked away in their comfy beds but they would awake to find a shocking and grizzly splatter in the streets tomorrow. Assuming the rain he could smell in the air didn't wash it all away first, they would send their sweepers and cleaners to pick up the mess and everything would look normal by sun-high. Back in the day, Bone had come up with names for some of the regulars that would clean up Scourge's personal bloodbaths._ Gut-scrubber, Corpse-scooper, and Parts-manager.  
_

Thinking about BloodClan's glory days helped him take his mind off the pain. No matter how agonizing each pawstep was, he couldn't stop. A monster roared past, smashing the corpse of a nearby cat into the pavement but he didn't flinch. Such was a typical sight living in BloodClan. He tried to refocus on where he was going but his head was starting to spin between his loss of blood and and his exhaustion. _Just one more turn down this alley and I'll be at Scourge's old hideout._

The red stone walls on either side of him were blurring and swaying as Bone limped towards the back of the alley. Even though Scourge hardly weighed anything, he could feel his paws slow and drag against the ground. To his surprise, he thought he could hear voices up ahead. _Why are there cats gathering here? Normally it would be forbidden for anybody to enter without permission from me or Scourge.  
_

Suddenly, one of the blurry bricks seemed to detach from one of the walls and approach him. Bone opened his mouth to hiss in surprise and Scourge's corpse fell to the ground with a wet thud.

"Bone? What on earth are you doing here?"

He stopped, his jaws still agape. He recognized the voice of Brick, another high-ranking member of BloodClan and one of his closest companions. "I- I was just taking Scourge back to-" but his sentence fell apart in his mouth. He was tired and the pain from all of his reopened injuries flooded back to him.

"You can't go back there right now," Brick told him, her voice serious. "Snake and Ice have taken over this area claiming to be making a new BloodClan. I haven't joined them but many cats have, and they won't like seeing you alive. Come with me, I know where you can rest until you've recovered."

"But Scourge-" he mumbled as Brick guided him with her tail.

"I'll carry him. Just stay close to me."

He grunted in understanding and stumbled after her back the way he had come. The loud angry voices he could hear at the end of the alley grew quieter.

"You are in no condition to roam the streets," Brick told him seriously. "Since if I know you at all, you will get into a fight the moment some cat looks at you funny."

"That may be true," he meowed, barely more than a whisper. He was navigating by the sound of her voice and nothing else. The world was passing by in an oozing stream of dull blurry colors.

Neither of them spoke as they wove through the town. Bone was too busy thinking to start a conversation and Brick's mouth was full. _Snake and Ice... two low ranking members of Scourge's personal guard. They are far from worthy of carrying the title 'leaders of BloodClan.' Brick is right that if they found out I was alive, they'd see me as a threat to their power. And even though I don't want to be part of BloodClan anymore, they would still want me dead.  
_

_"_Drink."

He opened his eye. There was an oily puddle before him. Without hesitation, he stooped down and lapped up mouth-fulls of the vile liquid. It tasted like rubbish but he didn't care. His body was desperate for fluids after losing so much blood. Once he was satisfied, he stood back up and could feel a tiny bit of his strength returning.

"The safe place I have in mind isn't much farther," Brick told him.

He grunted in agreement and they continued along the road. Brick was taking him to the farthest corner of the Clan's territory where it would be harder for Snake and Ice to find them. He hated having to rely so heavily on another cat, but it couldn't be helped. He needed time to recover.

It was the dead of night and all he wanted was to go to sleep. He could picture the burnt out car in the alley that had once been his home before he joined BloodClan. One of its doors had been ripped off allowing a cat to climb inside. That piece of rubbish had been one of the only items he had claimed that Scourge could never take. Scourge never treated any of the cats below him like his equal, but he did show respect for some of the higher ranking guards.

"Where do you two think you are going?"

Bone and Brick stopped as pawsteps approached. A small gang of half a dozen cats quickly surrounded them. The BloodClan cats all looked thin and most of them didn't have any teeth in their collars yet. The leader of the small group was a ginger-furred tom.

"This is the southern border of BloodClan territory," the tom growled. "We can't let you pass without identification- Oh, it's Bone!"

"Did we win the battle?" a tortoiseshell she-cat asked frantically. "Nobody tells us anything."

Brick dropped Scourge's corpse. "You must not have heard. The battle against the forest cats was unsuccessful. You can ask Scourge here if you don't believe me."

The other BloodClan cats gasped in shock when they realized the identity of the matted pile of blood-stained fur. Some of them began muttering to each other.

_Scourge is dead._

_What do we do now?_

_Does that make Bone the new leader?_

It dawned on Bone that some of the cats that had been left to guard BloodClan territory during the fight may not have heard the news about their defeat in the forest. BloodClan's territory was vast and the chain of command had crumbled when Scourge died. It could take days for the news to reach every corner of the houseplace. He didn't know the names of any of the cats in front of him except for Brick. The fringe-borders were usually guarded by newer and inexperienced recruits so he wasn't surprised.

He suddenly realized each of the cats, including Brick, were staring at him expectantly. They wanted him to give an order. "Uh, move aside and let us pass," he growled, trying to stand tall but one of his hind legs was stiff and wouldn't bend. "Until further notice, you are all relieved of duty so get lost."

The small group of cats obeyed without question and dispersed at his command. Clearly they still considered him important enough to listen to.

Brick and Bone were alone again.

"We need to keep moving," Brick told him. "You were lucky those cats hadn't given their allegiance to Snake and Ice already. If there is one thing all BloodClan leaders have in common, it is that they will silence any cat that challenges their ultimate authority."

"Power does not enjoy company," Bone agreed, slumping his shoulders. He hadn't told her yet that he wasn't interested in taking the mantle of leadership. Would she still be helping him if she knew the truth?

"Come, we are almost to the safe place," Brick meowed and she scooped up Scourge's body once more.

Bone followed her along the empty street and let his eye slide shut again. Without a reason to pretend to be strong, his body loosened and returned to a defeated slouch. His brain was too fuzzy to think more about the confrontation with the recruits.

Fortunately, Brick was right that they wouldn't have far to go. She lead him around a fence and up a driveway. They stopped in front of a door.

Even without seeing it, Bone recognized the scent of the flowers that grew in the nearby garden. This home belonged to a senior BloodClan officer named Frost; a cranky headstrong she-cat known more for her abrasive tongue rather than her skill in battle. Frost was one of many BloodClan cats who still lived with her housefolk.

"Frost, are you home?" Brick called loudly. "It's an emergency!"

There was a scrabble of claws on wood from deeper in the house after a few heartbeats, Frost's angry voice could be heard. It wasn't until she was right behind the door that Bone could make out her words.

"-and what kind of emergency could Scourge's rank nineteen hench-cat possibly have that would concern me at this time of night? Don't forget that I outrank you by quite a lot, Brick. Go away and let me sleep!"

Brick let out a low growl that only Bone could hear. It was true that Frost had outranked Brick under Scourge's leadership. The feisty she-cat was responsible for assessing new recruits, renaming housecats and strays with proper BloodClan names, and managing Scourge's personal guard. Only Scourge's advisors, the captains of the guard, and Bone himself outranked her.

"Just let us in," Brick snarled, scraping her claws against the door with the unpleasant sound of splintering wood. "Bone is here with me and we have Scourge's body."

There was silence from inside the house for as moment. Something clicked and Frost stepped outside. "My stupid old housefolk doesn't know that I've figured out how to unlatch the cat door."

Bone opened his good eye to see that she had slipped out through the cat-door that was installed. Frost's gray and white pelt was laced with fresh scratches but she was poised with dignity and grace. Her icy blue eyes spotted Scourge's corpse lying on the ground and then they flashed to Bone.

"So it's true that he died in battle," she murmured, her voice lowering with mourning. "I heard rumors but I didn't want to believe them. The retreating cats said you died in battle as well, Bone."

"Those forest savages came damn close." He was tempted to add _'But I'm the toughest thug you've ever met,' _thinking about what Tatters said to him when he had awoken on the battlefield. "Can we skip the chat and get to the part where you let us in?"

Frost's eyes churned with conflicting feelings as she stared up at him. She was a very proud cat- all high ranking BloodClan cats were- but she was also very loyal and aware of her place in the hierarchy. A direct order from Bone would never have been refused while Scourge was still alive but things were different now. The corner of Frost's lip quivered but after a moment she took a step back and bowed her head. "Of course, come right in. Just don't bring that corpse with you. Even a stupid housefolk like mine would eventually notice the smell."

"That _corpse _was your former leader," Brick growled, baring her teeth in fury. "How dare you treat him like just another dead cat!"

Frost's eyes widened and her quivering lip gave way to a snarl. "This is _my_ home! The only creatures Scourge outranks now are the snails and maggots crawling through the sewers."

Bone instinctively opened his mouth to defend his leader, but closed it. Frost did have a point; BloodClan cats lost their rank upon dying, everyone knew that. Also, since Bone had been the second highest ranking cat in BloodClan, he could annex any other cat's territory if he wanted to. _That's what Scourge would have done. He was never afraid to steal another cat's turf for his own gain._

"Back me up, Bone," Brick muttered into his ear. "Tell this pampered fleabag that we're bringing Scourge with us. It's entirely your decision."

"I don't have fleas," Frost hissed. "I got my shots from the cutter's just a couple months ago."

Bone closed his eye. He truly didn't care what happened, he just wanted to rest and let his aching body heal. "Leave Scourge outside. We can deal with him later."

"But it's going to rain soon and he will get gross," Brick countered. "If we don't bring him in now-"

"That was an order," Bone growled, interrupting her.

Frost purred in satisfaction and stuck her tongue out at Brick, but the larger red she-cat was too busy glaring furiously at Bone to notice. Brick had been one of Bone's friends for many moons, even before they met Scourge, and he knew she could be stubborn at times. But she only nodded and muttered, "yes sir."

"Excellent," Frost whispered. She spun around with a lash of her tail and returned through the cat-door. "Oh, and by the way, Brick. If you ever scratch up my door again, I'll rip your throat out."

"I'd like to see you try," Brick snarled once the silver she-cat was through the door so only Bone could hear.

"Ladies first," He meowed, feeling bad for dismissing her. If he didn't feel so miserable, he might have tried to talk it out._ I'll make it up to her later._

Brick ignored him and slipped through the cat door. She was larger than Frost so it was a tighter squeeze.

He let out a tired sigh. The weight of the day was crushing down on him but there was still one thing he needed to do before he could finally rest. He stooped down and lifted Scourges corpse which had been left sprawled on the doorstep. He carefully maneuvered it under a nearby bush and kicked some leaves over it until it was mostly hidden. Then he looked up at the sky where the stars were blocked out by the clouds. It was a blackmoon that night but he knew it would return after a couple sundowns. "I'll deal with the Blood Rout tomorrow... whatever is left of it."


	4. Calm Before the Storm

**Ughh, I can't get over how cool I think Bone is. I also can't get over how little information Erin Hunter gave us about him. He could have had his own spin-off series, he was so cool...  
**

**MistLion Frost was an OC given to me for the original _Bone Survived_. I liked her so much that I put her in this version as well. Most cats that live in BloodClan are going to be harsh, haha.**

_"Take it back! Take back what you called me!"_

"Do you want to start something?"

There was a loud crash that woke Bone from his slumber. He blinked open his one good eye and the colors and shapes slowly formed into a cohesive image. There was another crash followed by a shriek of pain. He leapt to his paws, ready for a fight.

He quickly realized he wasn't under attack. Instead, two she-cats were rolling across a carpeted floor in a heap of claws and teeth, ripping chunks of fur out of each other. The tumbled into the housefolk objects that littered the room, knocking over a wooden stool and sending a glass thing crashing to the floor. "Brick, Frost, stop that right now!"

The two cats froze and broke apart, panting and bleeding from various scratches and bites. By looking at the damage caused, it looked like Brick had been winning the skirmish.

"Sorry, Bone," Brick muttered, lowering her head in shame. "It's just, this housecat really knows how to piss me off."

Frost growled and her icy eyes were slits of hostility. "Stop calling me a housecat! I am your superior!"

Brick gestured towards the many fresh scratches that adorned Frost's pelt. "Maybe my superior in rank, but clearly not in fighting ability."

"Only because you attacked first," Frost spat, her pelt fluffed out so she looked twice her normal size. "If I knew you were about to assault me in my own house, I would have been ready to shred that stupid smug look off your face!"

Bone raised his tail for silence and turned to Brick. "Is it true that you attacked first?"

The large red she-cat's green eyes had been glaring at her adversary with fury, but they quickly widened with guilt when she heard the disappointment in his voice. "She's been harassing me all morning while you were unconscious. Never stopped going on about how I need to listen to her every command as if she appointed herself the new BloodClan leader."

"So you are admitting to unsheathing your claws first," he stated, closing his eyes for a moment. "I'll leave it up for Frost to decide whether or not she permits you to stay in her home anymore. Scourge may have been quick to annex other cat's territories, but that's not how what I want. It's her place, her rules." He opened his eyes and turned to the smaller silver she-cat.

Frost didn't need to be prompted twice. "Get out! No cat is allowed to draw my blood in my own home."

Brick stared into Bone's face with disbelief. They had been close friends for many seasons and she must have felt like he was betraying her. But Bone held her gaze sternly. _I know those two she-cats would never be able to live under the same roof without fighting, and I can't kick Frost out since she lives here. I'll find Brick later and talk to her. She will understand._

There was pain expressed across Brick's face as she nodded in understanding. She turned to Frost. "Lead me out."

"With pleasure," Frost muttered, and the two she-cats padded across the floor and left down the stairs in the middle of the floor.

Once he was alone, Bone lay back down and took a deep breath. His body still ached but someone had wrapped thin white cloth around his injuries. He realized he must look ridiculous and not intimidating at all covered up like one of the cushy pillows that littered the room, but he knew keeping his blood inside of himself was far more important than his appearance.

As he waited for Frost to return, he listened to the patter of rain on the roof and outside on the windowsill nearby. The sound was soothing and he was tempted to close his eyes and go back to sleep. The night before, Frost had taken him to the third floor of her house and he had instantly fallen asleep on one of the old beds. The place was dusty and covered with cobwebs. The murky light on the ceiling was dead and left the room in a shade of dirty gray. He didn't know the function of many of the housefolk items that were strewn around since even though he had spent his entire life in the houseplace, there were still some mysteries he didn't fully understand.

He crawled across the soft mattress towards the only window in the room which was right next to the bed. He reached up so his chest was lying on the wooden ledge in front of the window while his hindquarters were still comfortably resting on the sheets. He stared out.

By the amount of light poking through the clouds, he had to guess it was almost sundown. He had been unconscious for almost a whole day. He could barely see anything at all since rain water was cascading down on the outside ledge and splashing against the glass. The rain he had predicted the day before was pummeling the house. The branches of the maple tree in the backyard were spasming and convulsing beneath the barrage of raindrops. _Scourge's body will be disgusting the next time I see it, _he thought to himself. The bush he had placed the corpse under would not be adequate protection against the fierce weather.

A flicker of movement caught his eye and he spotted Brick's red fur streaking across the street on the other side of the yard. She had to be pissed with him, and he couldn't blame her. She was just as proud as any other BloodClan cat. In fact, she liked to claim that she was one of the founders of BloodClan since she had been with him when they first discovered Scourge.

Even though the weather was disgusting, that didn't stop the housefolk from driving around the town. The cars and trucks rampaged through the puddles forming in the road, barely slowing down, and it almost looked like they were celebrating the morning. But Bone knew that even though they looked like they had bright glowing eyes, they were just machines the housefolk used to get from place to place.

A flash of lightning lit the sky and was immediately followed by a crack of thunder so loud, the window rattled. A violent thunderhead was rumbling through and he envied its savage power. If he had been as strong as the storm, he wouldn't have fallen in the battle against the savages. The rain picked up and pelted the glass until he couldn't see the yard anymore.

Instead, he focused on the face shimmering on the surface of the glass. His own reflection stared back at him with one bright green eyes. His left eye was milky white and useless after the forest cat had attacked him, and he was missing half of an ear. He also had new scars criss-crossing his muzzle that weren't there before the fight against the forest cats. _I look like I got in a fight with a barbed-wire fence, _he thought to himself, turning his head to the side to get a better look at the damage. He opened his mouth to reveal his large teeth. It was always important that he keep his most dangerous weapons safe and sharp.

He closed his mouth as he realized he was missing some of his other weapons. Even though his collar was still wrapped around his throat, all of his dog teeth were missing from both his collar and his claws. He looked around, not wanting to jump off the bed in case he ruined the bindings covering his wounds. _Where could they be?_

He heard a gentle patter of paws. Frost was returning up the flight of wooden stairs towards him. Her silver face poked out above the floor and spotted him. There was still blood caked around the side of her head from her fight with Brick.

"Are you alright?" Bone asked as she leaped up the last few steps. Even though he preferred Brick's company, he wanted to be on Frost's friendly side so she wouldn't cause him trouble.

"Shut up," she growled, padding across the floor towards the back of the room where a pile of fabric-cloths were stacked up. "'_Are you alright?_'" she mocked, deepening her voice to imitate his. "You are the leader of BloodClan, act like it. There's no way I'll follow some sad broken housecat cowering in my attic pretending to be friendly."

Bone shut his mouth and clenched his jaw. If he were Scourge, he wouldn't have hesitated to rush over and rip her throat open on the spot. Every cat learned to respect Scourge or suffer death- that was how he had been able to seize so much power in such a short amount of time. But Bone wasn't like that. He had never desired ultimate power over the housecats. All he ever wanted was order. Now that Scourge was dead, he was ready to sit back and watch everything return to the way it was before. He narrowed his eyes and watched Frost tear away pieces of the cloth.

After the she-cat used the fabric to wrap her own injuries and turned to him expectantly. When she noticed he hadn't reacted to her comment, she glared at him with fury. "You are supposed to be Scourge's fiercest supporter. How can you be so lethargic? You are the single most powerful cat in the entire houseplace but you aren't acting the part."

Bone didn't say anything, he just stared at her sadly.

Her eyes suddenly grew wide in understanding. "I can't believe it. You don't want to be the new leader!"

He let out a tired sigh and lay back down on the bed. "You are correct. I have no interest in repairing and ruling a broken BloodClan. Once I'm healthy enough to travel, I'm leaving. I'll live alone in the alleyways like I did before I met Scourge."

The bed shook slightly as Frost leapt up to join him. He expected her fiery wrath to sear his ears, but instead, her tone became unusually gentle. "I understand. You think BloodClan will die without Scourge- like _he_ was the only thing that kept the cats in check. But BloodClan isn't just a group of cats, it's now a way of life, a law of the streets."

"It doesn't involve me anymore," Bone growled. "And you are wrong about BloodClan. It will collapse and disperse on its own before the first snowfall. That's why I've been calling them the Blood Rout; just a disorganized group of defeated cats."

Frost stood in front of where he lay, staring down at him with eyes that seemed to glow in the dim light. "You can't hide from your fate, Bone," she meowed, barely more than a whisper. "As we speak, new leaders are sprouting up among the ranks trying to gain power. Once they find out that you are still alive, they will send their cats to kill you. Your _destiny_ is to be the new leader of BloodClan, or you will die trying to avoid it."

Bone closed his eyes again and turned his head away from her. _When did she get so bloody wise? _"Why do you want _me_ of all cats to be leader? Why not support someone who actually wants to lead?"

"For a few reasons," she stated simply. "Firstly, I want to be on the winning side and I know you are the strongest and most influential cat living in the houseplace right now. Also, I remember the day you first met Scourge. You were trying to get him to kill a dog that was guarding food that many cats needed to survive. You were trying to help cats, not conquer them. And finally, watching you fight was always a joy." She let out a little sigh. "It would kill me to see you give up and wither away."

"Very inspirational," he muttered, though he couldn't help but feel slightly empowered by her praise. "Leave me be, now."

"Is there anything else you need from me before I go?" she asked.

"I suppose there is one thing." Bone lifted his paw to display his unsheathed claws. "Where are my dog teeth?"

"I removed them while you were asleep because they were tearing up the mattress. They are on the little table at the foot of the bed. I also left a bowl of food there, too."

"Oh, thanks." He let his paw flop back down on the bed. "Just leave me alone. I'll think about what you said."

"If those are your orders, I will obey," she jeered, her voice returning to normal. "When you have a battle-plan ready for me, I'll be downstairs." The bed shook again as she jumped off. He looked up just in time to see the tip of her silver tail disappear back down the stairs to the second floor.

He was left alone with the sound of the rain pattering the window. _I have a feeling that my life is going to get very difficult very soon. _All of Frost's points were valid. He had the strongest claim to the BloodClan throne and every cat in the town knew it. As much as he wanted to turn his back on Scourge's legacy, it was very likely that was impossible. He grit his teeth and growled, rolling over on the bed to try and make himself more comfortable. His wounds were still very sore but the thought of going back to sleep was unappealing.

He stood up and his paws sank into the soft mattress. He couldn't lay there and wait for time to soothe his injuries and his troubled thoughts. He crawled to the edge of the bed and gently lowered himself to the wooden floor. As Frost had said, he found a bowl of cat food by the foot of the bed along with his dog teeth. The sharp canines were still covered in blood from his fight against the forest cats.

Hunger chewed at his insides so he padded over to the bowl and took huge mouthfuls of the dry pellets. They tasted like turkey- his least favorite flavor, but he was so hungry he didn't stop until the bowl was licked clean. Still not satisfied, he stood up. He needed to come up with a plan. _If Frost is right that some cats are trying to rebuild BloodClan, then I have to act quickly. Either I get out of town or I stay and fight. Either way, I can't just sit around and do nothing.  
_

The first thing he did was tear off the bindings that wrapped his body. The bleeding had stopped and he wanted the wounds to scar. He gathered up his dog teeth and fit them back through his collar and over his claws. He flexed each limb in turn to make sure everything was working. He could feel his strength lurking beneath the ache of his injuries, but he didn't want to push himself too hard in case he reopened them all. Until then, he would stay in the shadows and seek out cats he knew would support him.

Fully armed once more, he crawled onto the windowsill and wedged one of his dog teeth beneath the window. With a grunt of effort, he created a gap as the glass frame slid upwards and he pushed his head under it. He stepped out into the storm and let the window close shut behind him. Immediately, the rain soaked through his fur to the skin but he didn't care. He looked down at the grassy earth far below him, but there was a tree nearby that he could reach and use to crawl down.

He still wasn't sure he liked the idea of leading BloodClan, but inaction wasn't an option. He needed to gather allies and there were was one cat in particular he wanted to speak to first before he made the big decision. He hadn't spoken to her in many many moons, and he hoped she would remember him.

_My mother. Alice._

**What a boring chapter... I have to get through all the talky stuff before I can get to the killy stuff.**


End file.
